Coin-controlled vending apparatus.



lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1 i

NELLIE A. EDDINGS, OF GLENDALE, AND HARRY GEARINGfOF LOS ANGELES, i.

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS T0 SAID NELLIE A. EDDINGS.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 9, 1914. Serial No. 876,369.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, NELLIE A. EDDiNGs, a citizen of the United States, and HARRY GEARING, a subject ofthe King of Great' Britain, residing, respectively, at Glendale and Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have jointly invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coin controlled vending apparatus, whereby the delivery and purchase of commodities may be effected after the introduction to the apparatus of a coin or object of suitable shape and mass, the apparatus otherwise being inoperative so as to prevent tampering or fraudulent withdrawal or removal of such commodities.

T he invention relates more particularly to that class of coin controlled apparatus in which the coin, upon its insertion, permits the operation of the apparatus, rather than serving as a working part of the deliverycausing features. e

The invention has for its object to provide improved apparatus of the character stated which will lie superior in point of relative simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction and organization, taken in connection with positiveness and reliability in action, proof against tampering or unauthorized operation, compactness in form, neatness in appearance, and which will be generally su-V perior in ediciency and serviceability,

- lVith the above and other ob]ects in view,

the invention consists in the novel and use-Y ful provision, formation, combination, association and inter-relation of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finallypointed out in claims.

In the drawing: Figurel is an isometric view, partly broken away for fullness of illustration, of improved coin controlled apparatiis constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken through the coin-receiving operating features of the apparatus, -including the coin receptacle, upon the line :r2- 062, Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the appended arrows; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail vertical fragmentary sectional view taken upon the line aaa-3, Fig. 4,'and looking'inthe direction of the appended arrows, through the commodity storing anddelivery Jfeatures of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

sectional view taken at right angles to the plane of vision in Figs. 2 and 3, upon the line mii-xt, Fig.2, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows; Fig. 'is a fragmentary sectional View similar to a portion of the showing in Fig. 2, showing the parts in altered position incident to operation;. Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in further altered posi-Y tion assumed when an unauthorized attempt ismade to operate theV apparatus, that is without the introduction of the proper coin; and Fig. 7 is a vdetail fragmentary sectional view, taken on the lines :ifm7, Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows, features disclosed in Fig. t likewise being shown. Y

Corresponding parts in all the vfigures are inwardly and upwardly inclined to `promote delivery, and the mouth of which or front opening of which provides egress for the delivered commodities. The casing kA is provided with a lateral extension C at its lower portion, within and at which the coin receiving operating means c are disposed, such casing extension having a coin slot 9 whereby suitable coins may be introduced t0 the member c. The casing extension C isV provided between the member-c with a coin compartment 10 to which the coins after service in the memberrfc are discharged, such coin compartment having a door' and-lock therefor. 11,' by which such' coins may be removed bv an authorized person.

The delivery means B comprises two commodity trays. l2 and 1 3, arranged in the same 'horizontal plane of the casing A,vr and ing A away from the casingextension C, the rearward tray 13 havingan end bearinrv 11 at the 'other' end to which is atiixed a pinion 15 the teeth of which mesh with a pinion l'within the casing C, which pinion, 16,v

as will be hereinafter described, is iXed to rotate with the tray 12. The two trays are reversed in positicn, so that one is inverted while the other is in position to lhold ythe commodity, and being rotatively connected as stated when one is brought into upright position the other is inverted, so that one may discharge commodity to the chute b, while the otl ,r receives a charge of commodity.

lilhe means c comprise a shaft 18 projecting throughy the casing- C from the adjacent end of the tray 12, and carrying at its outer end eXteriorly of said casing a linger piece 19 whereby such` shaft in the tray 12 may be rotated, suoli shaft being journaled in the casing C, asat 20. The coin receiving operating means c comprise in addition to the shaft 18 the pinion 16 centered upon the shaft 18 and bearing at one face against the adjacent end of the tray 12, the casing A being broken away to permit ofsucli contact, as at 22. Similarly centered upon the shaft 18 is the housing 17 within which are mounted dogs or bolts 23, similar in form, but reversed in positions, top for bottom, and diametricallv oppositelv arranged with respect to the shaft 18. These'bolts 28 are mounted so as to be capable of playing in 4the housing` 17, so that heads 23;t thereof may be projected substantially' radially of the housing 17 through slots 23b therein, suoli bolts likewise having recesses or seats 23e adapted to receive coins introduced through the slots 8, when suoli housing 17 is in the position indicated in Fig. 2. Such bolts 23 are slightly recessed at the top ot one and at the bottom of the other, as at 23d, to accommodate the shaft 18, over which such recessed Aportions of the bolts slide. The housing 17 is screwed or bolted to the pinion 16, as at 24, and to the adjacent eiid of the tray 12, so that when the shaft 18 is turned the tray 12 and said disk and housing are turned with the shaft, as the coin in one of the recesses 23C permits. This can take place, as indicated in Fig. 2, as the coin 25, in one of the seats 23e. holds the respective dog 23, by engaging with the jv walls of the respective housing slot 23e, from.

engagementwith the shouldered end 26at of a catch slot 26 in the wall of the casing C, within which the housing 17 and pinion 16 are rotativelv mounted. This catch slot 26 is Jformed upon acurved wall having a radius greater than that ot the housing 17, whereby the heads 28a of the bolts 23, by engagement therewith. are held extensionallv within the slots 23b in thehousing 17,

when forced into engagement with thecen-i tral Aportion of said curved wall 26b of such catch slot, by one of two compression springs 27 mounted in the housing lland each acting upon one of theY dogs or bolts 23. to 'forceoit outwardly. `lf, however, the housing 17 be rotated, without the respective dog 23 being held against outward projection through the slot z3" by its spring 27, as by a coinl introduced within the respective housing slot 23e and bolt or dog seat 23, the respective heads 282l of the dog or bolt will be projected into the catch s101326 so as to come into contact with one of the stops 26a at the ends or' such catch slot, thus preventing further rotation of the housing 17 and of the shaft 18 andv tray 12 so astok invert the tray and discharge a commodity` therefrom. This action is illustrated in Fig.

6. It, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a coin be sol inserted, the shaft 18 maybe turned to 'in-1 vert the tray 12, the respective dog 23 being retained` from projection. beyond theV housing 17, so that the housing may be rotated through an arc or 180degrees. When such halt rotation has ensued, the coin will pass outwardly through a coin `discharge slot 28f in the wall of the casing C, and4 downwardly into the coin receiving'cham-14 ber 10. The other dog/33 will thenhave been brought into positionl so that its head f projects within the catch slot 26; and it; will be noted that the housing 17 and rotatively coupled parts may be oscillated through an arc determined by the length ot the arc ot' the catchfslot 26, for the rotationl oit such parts'to operate the trays 12and 13 being prevented by the projection or the respective dog 23, unlessl a coin is introduced within the housing 17 to act in the manner above stated. The dogs 23 ofcourse operate successively in coperation with the catchj slot 26 and its stop walls 26a. As soon as a coin has been discharged from 17, the member C cannot be further operated until a fresh proper coin is introduced within the respective seat 23c of the respective dog'23 to coperate with the housing 17 in the manner stated.V Of course the trays 12 and 13 will alternately receive and dis-A charge commodities, the tray which is provided with a commodity being the one to be inverted upon any proper operation ot' the member o, yand the other of such trays being the one to be next positioned to re ceive a further charge of commodity, having just discharged a previous articleror commodity, which is discharged' through the chute b. Furthermore, it: makes no difthe housing.

ference in which direction theshaft 18 lis A turned,ras theftrays can be given each' a half turn in either case, one to receive commodity and the other to discharge` commodity, as permitted by the introduction of coin to control the proper dog 23. Y

Having thus described our invention 'wel' claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a coin-controlled device, a rotatable housing, a bolt mounted to play in the hous- 5 ing, means with which Said boltis adapted to coperate to prevent rotation of said' housing when projected from the housing,

and means tending normally toproject the bolt from the housing, said housing and said bolt being provided with coin-receiving openings adaptedto register with a coin slot and whereby a coin introduced within the said openings serves to prevent projection of said bolt from said housing by blocking movement of the bolt through engagement by the periphery of the coin ofone of the walls of the coin-receiving opening in the bolt and a wall of the coin-receiving openingin the housing to permit rotation of the housing. Y

2. In a coin-controlled device, a rotatable housing, a lpair of bolts mounted to play within the housing, means tending normally to project said bolts from said housing, and

means with which said bolts are adapted one at a time to coperate to prevent rotation of said housing, when projected from the housing; said housing and said bolts being provided with coin-receiving openings whereby a coin introduced in a bolt coin-receiving opening and its respective housing coin-receiving opening may prevent the projection of the respective bolt by blocking the same through engagementl bv the periphery of the coin of a wall of the coin-receiving opening in the bolt and a wall of the coin-- receiving opening in the housing to permit -rotation of the housing.

3. In a coin-controlled device, a rotatable housing, a pair of bolts mounted to play within the housing, means tending nor- `mally to project said bolts from said housing, and means with which said bolts are adapted one at a time to coperate to prevent rotation of said housing when projected from the housing; said housing and said bolts being provided with coin-receiving openings whereby a coin introduced between a wall of the coin-receiving opening in one of the bolts and wall of the respective coin-receiving opening in the housing mav act through peripheral engagement with said walls to prevent projection of the respective bolt and permit rotation of the housing.

4. In a coin-controlled device, a rotatable housing. a pair of bolts mounted to play within the housing. means tending normally to project said bolts from the housing in opposite directions, and meansV with which said bolts are adapted one at a time to cooperate to prevent rotation of said housing, when projected from vthe housing; said housing and said bolts being Vprovided with coin-receiving openingsv whereby a coin inv troduced between the wall of the coin-re# ceiving opening in one of the bolts and a wall of the respective coin-receiving opening in the housing may act through peripheral engagement with saidvwalls to'prevent 70 projection of the respective bolt and permit rotation of the housing. e

5. In a coin-controlled device, a' casing, aV

Vrotatable housing, a bolt Vmounted. to play in said housing and project radially through the periphery thereof, means tending normally to project said bolt from said housing,

means with which said bolt cooperates to prevent rotation of said housing when pro- Y, jected from said housing, anda formation on said bolt providing a coin-receivingopen- Y ing; :said casing and said housing being provided with coin-receiving openingswith which said bolt coin-receiving opening'y is fy l adapted to register to receive a coin the pe- S5 riphery of which is engaged by said bolt formation and a wall of the coin-receiving opening in the housing thereby preventing projection of said bolt and permitting rotation of said housing.

6. In a coin-controlled device, a rotatable housing, a bolt mounted to play in said housing and project radiallyjthrough the. periphery thereof, means tending normally to project said bolt from said housing, a casingchambered to accommodate rotation l of said housing and provided with a plurality of abutting stops to engage said bolt when projected from said housing and pre'- vent rotation of said housing in either direction, and a Jformation on said bolt adapted to engage the periphery of a coin introduced through suitable slots provided in said casing and said housing; the periphery of the coin so introduced being also engaged by a wall of the coin-receiving slot in the housing and the coin so introduced serving to hold the vbolt in retracted position to permit rotation of the housing. y

Inv testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing'witnesses.

NELLIE A. EDDINGS. v HARRY GEARING.

Witnesses:

ALFRED H. DOEHLER, TYCIE FULLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D. C. 

